Review of Lawless (2012) by Tyler R — 10 Jul 2013

There are films that are good solely because of the cast. That doesn't mean the story isn't interesting or well strung together, it's just that the cast ends up being the standout when the credits roll.

Well, Lawless fits that bill perfectly. The film follows the Bondurant Brothers as they try to keep their moon shining business going when the law steps in to stop them. Now, this is based on a true story, and as interesting as it may be, it just doesn't seem to translate well on film.

Some much needed fine tuning on the script would have done wonders. However, the cast sure does make up for it. Tom Hardy does a fantastic job as the oldest Bondurant, and Shia LaBeouf does a pretty swell job in what is probably his most mature role to date.

That being said, Guy Pearce easily steals the show as the Chicago lawman. The sadistic look in his eyes matches his odd accent and makes for a memorable role. A big complaint I had was the Gary Oldman was reduced to little more than a meaningless cameo, which is a shame because he does pretty well in the short time he's given.

Overall, the film wasn't bad, it just wasn't great.